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The church is far from perfect…but there's no better place for imperfect people to gather to worship a perfect God. I love what this blogger wrote: “I want a [church] service that is not sensational, flashy, or particularly ‘relevant.’… At church, I do not want to be entertained. I do not want to be the target of anyone’s marketing…” As I age in my faith I find myself becoming exasperated with shallow and/or slick expressions of church. I look forward to gathering in community where there is prayerful confession, communion (meaningfully sharing the eucharist with others), preaching of the Word so it brings life where we expected death, and anointing the sick — you know, those strange rituals and traditions Christians have been practicing for the past 2,000 years. It’s this sacramental liturgy that makes the church relevant, no matter the society, culture or era. Sacramental liturgy is effective because in them Christ himself is at work - there’s no need for a marketing director o…

In his book The Cost of DiscipleshipDietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, Baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, Absolution without personal confession…Cheap grace is ... without discipleship, [it's]Grace without the cross..." Maybe the polar opposite of cheap grace is transformative grace. It says I was broken and in need of repair; I experienced the love and mercy of a benevolent God and while still imperfect I'm being healed; I'm being restored; I’m being made whole. Receiving the transformative grace of God opens our eyes to His amazing acceptance of us in spite of our own failures and sin. I think transformative grace humbles us in the presence of God and produces an overwhelming gratitude which ought to flow towards others. Just a thought…pkes #MetroLifeChurch#CheapGrace#minmchurch Photo courtesy of Kirby Trapolino

Think of the Christian Trinity not as a mathematical problem to be solved, but a mystery to be unearthed.The Trinity is a huge and central part of Christian theology. However the subject can quickly divide, polarize, and alienate many believers - it’s truly a conundrum to be explored. Personally, I like, no need, a little mystery in my theology - it’s good for my soul. A difficult and demanding doctrine like the Trinity humbles me. That’s good, too. Christianity is a sacred mystery, a confession, not an explanation. So I fully confess God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even though I can’t fully explain it.#TrinitySunday #MetroKifeChurch #minmchurch

“…This is my body, which is given for...hey, not you Judas! No way…Real disciples only...” ~ J Martin Who was betrayed by Judas? The obvious answer - “…Judas, the one called Iscariot....one of the Twelve ... conferred with the high priests and ...Temple guards about how he might betray Jesus [later that night]Judas came ... to Jesus to kiss him ….Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”Luke 22 I’m wondering aloud here: Did the 11 remaining disciples feel betrayed by Judas, too? Do you recall that hot flash of pain at the recognition that someone you knew very well acted treasonously? The acts of Judas had to pull the reality rug out from under the disciples. Betrayal is never pleasant. Mostly it sucks. But it always seems to hurt just a little bit more when it comes from a person who you were once close to, and the twelve disciples were pretty tight, for three years, at least. Friendship is supposed to be one of the things that makes life worth living, but betrayal, it’s …

The Christian life is not just about a personal relationship with God, even if personal faith and responsibility are absolutely necessary. When too much emphasis is placed on a privatize salvation, we run the potential of getting so much wrong.

Avoid the draw to escape church citizenry. Becoming a disciple of Christ was never meant to be a solo expedition. Doing so means we expose ourselves to totally missing the opportunity to see the Eternal and His Holy Spirit in action: in real communities, in actual churches, in non-partisan politics, in obvious differences, in honest-to-goodness marriages, in authentic social discussions and during hard theological disagreements. You can't go it alone. Following Jesus shouldn’t be about intellectual assent, but rather it's communal activity, where-by we help ensure we don’t run the risk of missingthe Word who came to dwell among us. Consider that believing in Jesus and being mentored by the Holy Ghost is largely a group activity, albeit a…

Are you holding a close secret? Are you mum on something you're not supposed to tell anyone? If you’re like many folks I’ve met, you’re holding ‘something or other’ pretty close to your vest. And in doing so, as SNL’s Mike Myers would say: “Oh, I'm getting a little verklempt (farklempt). Most stuff is worth sharing, especially with the right person. While sharing personal “stuff” might seem like an invasion of privacy, it’s so worth the “vulnerability hangover”It’s worth being misunderstood and misrepresented. There’s desirability in discomfort. It's worth the death of your self-image and maybe even your brand. There’s benefit to owning up to what’s inside, no matter how difficult, because as the Psalmist wrote: Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed.[1] Secrets bring bondage, sharing brings freedom. Freedom. Here’s what happens when you finally drop the act, when you finally admit that you're not fine, when you …

“..Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered, he went—oh so quietly, oh so willingly..”The crucifixion of Christ, the awful marriage of human sinfulness and the pinnacle of divine grace, must remain an enduring mystery, a mystery of my faith — Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Good Friday calls on me to take another look, to remember, His death. ~Selah~ So in my exuberance to treasure all the beauty that is Easter, I must be careful not to scurry past Good Friday. Easter alone does not make Christianity unique. It’s Good Friday, coupled with Easter, where we find the uniqueness of Christianity. As you contemplate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, I pray that God will reveal his unfathomable love for you in new ways. May you know the love of the one who gave his life for you…#Pkes #MinMChurch #MetroLifeChurch